Heartless Kingdom
by Ani-Coolgirl
Summary: [chapter fic] [OCs] [shounen ai] A lot can happen while you’re asleep. Time passes by, lives change. But when dream, you miss the changes. How much could possibly happen in two hundred years? Sometimes it's better to count sheep. Rated for later chapters.
1. Prologue: Rebirth

Ani: Welcome to _Heartless Kingdom_. My baby. My baby epic-length fic. Yesy friends, this is my baby. And I'm very proud of her. Except for one tiny detail... many of my main characters are OCs. I am ashamed of this fact, but that's just how it appeared in my head. Hopefully, people will still like it despite this. Besides, two of the OCs are only half OC - but that's not explained until later, but some people will have it figured out by the end of chapter 1. I am determined to finish this fic, and I'm staying about four chapters ahead. However, reviews will encourage me a lot, so review if you can. It makes me feel better. Anyway...

Icy: On with the fic!

Chapter Info  
**Title: **Prologue - Rebirth  
**Rating:** K+  
**Warnings:** OCs, slight shounen-ai  
**Word Count:** 3,112

* * *

"_Please, please, Riku, please!"_

"_Sora! Sora!"_

"_Please, please, help me! I can't –"_

"_Sora? SORA!"_

_----- _

"Two hundred years ago, the paths between worlds were opened, ushering in a new era of radical change for every world, economically, socially, and technologically. Does anyone remember the name of these events?"

Quickly, a small strawberry blonde girl raised her hand in an attempt to catch the eye of her professor.

"Yes, Antheia?"

The girl, Antheia, shifted proudly in her seat, sitting a bit taller. "It's called the 'Awakening Road' by most, but scholars studying the Second Wave usually call it the 'Unlocking of Barriers'."

"Very good Antheia," The instructor praised, beginning to pace in front of the classroom. "Now, can anyone tell me why there are two separate names for this series of significant events?" Antheia's hand shot up. "Someone else, please?" The class gave a light chuckle and Antheia's hand lowered to rest in her lap. "Raashiel, go ahead."

A serious-looking black haired boy lowered his hand, brushing long dark strands from his eyes as he did so. "The 'Awakening Road' alludes to the fact that when the roads were opened, it was a huge development – an awakening. The 'Unlocking of Barriers' refers to the theory that all worlds are separated by invisible magical barriers."

"Very good Raashiel." The professor quickened her pace, now wandering in the aisle. "But what originally unlocked these barriers?"

Raashiel and Antheia shared a glance. Both knew the answer but they were swiftly passed over. "How about Takami?" The teacher paused in front of the desk of a snoozing boy. Spiky brown-blond hair fell over his closed eyelids. Breath passed over his lips in a slow, steady rhythm. He didn't stir at the sound of his name.

"Takami," the woman said in a calm, mothering voice. "It's time to get up."

"I'm up!" Takami violently jerked his head away from his desk, causing the rest of the classroom to jump in fright. "I'm awake!"

"So we can see," the woman muttered loudly, covering her thumping chest with her hand. "Can you answer the question?"

"Question?" Takami asked, still dazed from his nap. "Question, question, what question?"

The teacher sighed. Though Takami had the potential to be an incredible student, he chose to be one of the many slackers that graced her history classroom. "What unlocked the world barriers?" she repeated impatiently.

"The Keyblade," Takami answered instantly, the drowsiness erased from his eyes. The woman cocked an eyebrow, impressed. Usually when caught napping, Takami would give an impressive blank stare or tongue-in-cheek answer.

"Correct. _For once_. The Keyblade, a legendary weapon with mysterious mystical powers, unlocked these gateways. Of course, this weapon is surrounded by ambiguity, and the actual extent of the Keyblade Wielder's involvement is unknown. For the last unit of the year, we will be studying the First and Second Wave, and the beginning of the Unity Era. A final project – " The class groaned in unison. " – will be assigned to each one of you. Every person will receive a name of a famous figure that played an important role in these 250 years. You will receive your person and the rubric tomorrow. The project will not be due until a week and a half before finals, so you will have plenty of time. Now, if you will all get your pens out, we have a Unit Test to do." The entire class groaned again as their data screens flashed the words "Unit Test 8".

-----

"_Kairi, Kairi, help me!"_

"_Sora?"_

"_He's trapped! Dammit, Kairi, help me!"_

"_Sora!"_

_----- _

"Good job zoning out in class today, Takami," Raashiel teased lightly, leaning over the coffee table in the center of Raashiel's front room, where the three friends usually studied. Currently, they were dining on ice cream over math homework. "Real smooth."

"Oh, hush," Takami pouted, taking a bite out of his blue-tinted treat. "S'not my fault."

"Right," Antheia interjected, finishing off another logarithm problem. "It was Raashiel's fault for keeping you up _all night long!_"

Takami and Raashiel blushed, Takami gagging over the Popsicle stick.

"We were on the phone," Takami muttered, turning his eyes towards his worksheet.

Antheia grinned. "Right. 'The phone'."

"We were!" Raashiel insisted. Antheia laughed. "Get your own boyfriend to tease," he mumbled. This time, Takami's blush was in delight. Two years of going out had not lessened the thrilling embarrassment of being referred to as 'my boyfriend'. Together: Raashiel and Takami. Best friends turned boyfriends. It was a classic.

_Life is good,_ Takami thought decidedly.

-----

_"Riku…"_

"_Sora, Sora, please stay with me here."_

"_Riku, I can't see you anymore…"_

"_Sora, baby, please…"_

"_Riku…"_

_----- _

The next day after school, Takami announced that he would do the unthinkable – start his project early.

"You are! Why?" Antheia asked, curious. Takami was the resident procrastinator of the trio, and had no problem with it. Antheia and Raashiel, however, always did things on time – especially Raashiel, who was extremely dedicated to his studies.

Takami shrugged, ensconcing himself more firmly into Raashiel's lap. The weekend had finally come, so the trio was relaxing, this time in Raashiel's room. Antheia was sprawled on the bed while Raashiel and Takami meshed themselves together on Raashiel's rolling computer chair. "I got someone interesting, that's all."

"Who?" asked Raashiel, blowing at the strands of brown-blond hairs that tickled his face.

"The Keyblade Master," Takami answered lazily.

"Aww, lucky!" Antheia whined. "I got some random politician from Reconstruction."

"Me too," Raashiel offered, trailing his fingers up and down Takami's light arms, while Takami giggled when they brushed a sensitive spot.

"I'm not all that lucky," said Takami between giggles. "I did a quick search of him on the Uni-Net and there's practically nothing on him aside from what we already know. There's only speculation."

"You're not at that much of a disadvantage," Raashiel countered. "They paper may give you some problems, but you'll have much more freedom with the presentation."

"That doesn't help me if I fail the paper."

"She'll understand. She wouldn't give you a project _knowing_ you would fail it."

As the two spoke, Antheia tilted her head to the side in thought. "You could always try the old castle," she suggested slowly. Raashiel and Takami stopped their conversation and glanced at her quizzically. "Radiant Garden is supposed to be one of the central locations in the Keyblade Master's adventures."

"How important?" Takami asked.

"Well, for one thing we have the original copy of _Merlin's Manual_. Merlin lived here for the time, and he must have known the Keyblade Master, because the Manual has excerpts from _Jiminy's Journal_."

"_Jiminy's Journal_? The Holy Grail for First and Second Wave scholars?" Raashiel interrupted. _Jiminy's Journal_ was a complete archive of the Keyblade Master's journey and supposedly held information impossible to find anywhere else, from profiles to sketches of important events. The journal of Jiminy Cricket had yet been discovered, and was only known because of the footnotes within _Merlin's Manual_.

"That's the one. Plus, according to researchers, the castle would have been in its full structural glory sometime around the First Wave. There must be something there." Antheia looked to Takami, blue-violet eyes searching for approval. He frowned instead.

"That would make sense, except for a couple of things," said Takami as he played with the ends of Raashiel's long black hair. "One, they don't give tours anymore because they were worried about the castle's integrity. That means, two, I can't get in." Both Raashiel and Antheia shot him a look at that one. The three had snuck inside the castle several times when they were younger, and, occasionally, even now. Of course, they had only ever been in the upper levels where the tours were held before they closed the attraction, the lower levels having been considered too dangerous for the public. "Three, even when they did give tours and people were still allowed in, there was nothing there. Scientists and tourists alike scrambled through that place like madmen. The place had been turned completely inside out."

"Ah, now that's where you're wrong," Raashiel cut in. "They haven't searched the entire castle. I found underground caverns there that I know the archeologists haven't been in." Raashiel's mother, a scientist, had been an advent follower in the studies of Radiant Garden before the Unity Era. "The caverns are sealed shut. Archeologists couldn't get in because they were afraid that moving the rocks would bring the entire castle down. However, I've seen accessible alternate entrances."

"And if a bunch of highly trained professionals can't do it, I certainly can," Takami said dryly. "And if you know all of this, why haven't you been down there? Or told your mom?"

"I have. And I'm not telling my mother, simply because there's nothing interesting down there. But just because I can't find anything," Takami twisted around to look into Raashiel's mirth-filled eyes, "doesn't mean you won't."

-----

_"Sora!"_

-----

Though Takami had been in the old castle a hundred times before, he had never descended in the lower levels and had never gone alone. Even though he thought it ridiculous, he still felt his thoughts turn to the ghost stories he often heard when speaking of the old castle. Apparently, if one was close enough to the castle, the sound of a girl crying could be heard accompanying the crash of metal blades. He never told anyone, but when he was younger he thought he heard these sounds while in the grand hall, one of the main attractions on the tour. Looking back, he reminded himself of the overactive imagination that he had when he was ten.

Takami entered the castle by crossing the bridge built by the tour company and going through main entrance. He followed a path he had taken repeatedly, going into the library (all of the books had been removed, of course) and through the secret passageway. Here is where the journey would become more difficult.

Back when the tours began, stairs were installed leading up into the higher floors. Though none of the archeologists had been able to figure out why, there were no stairs leading up to higher floors. For some odd structural reason, stairs had been excluded from the original design. Many theories suggested an elevator system, but whatever system was used now laid in pieces, with no one able to make sense of them. Thus, stairs and hand railings were installed, but none led downstairs. Excavators insisted that until a complete search was done of the lower levels, none of the structure was to be touched. To proceed, Takami would be forced to climb down using piles of rubble. Although nervous, he wasn't afraid. He and Raashiel had often climbed around the structure on the open-air areas of the towers, which was much more dangerous. Carefully, he descended, reaching from stone to stone, leading him to the lower floors.

Reaching the end of his rocky path, he began to navigate rooms that directed him to what he assumed was underground, flipping on his flashlight. He halted his descent when he reached a large, empty, dank room. Sighing, he lowered himself to the ground, dropping his backpack from his stinging shoulders. Rummaging through the bag, he pulled out a bagged sandwich and a book. Taking out the sandwich he began nibbling on it while opening the book on his lap. Daintily scribed on cover was the title _Merlin's Manual_. While the tome primarily acted as teaching material in magic courses, it contained several references to the Keyblade and its wielder. He had previously marked all of the pages containing the word 'Keyblade' using a query. Flipping to the first marked page, he began to read.

_"Magic, while a fickle creature, can be used by anyone, a fact generally unknown to those without natural magic talent. Every soul has the ability to harness magic if only given the opportunity. While there are many born with an innate ability to manipulate magic power, like myself, many times an amplifier (i.e. a spelled item or weapon) is needed to gain the power to aptly and correctly use magic in the beginning. A prime example is the Keyblade, a magical blade with the power to open any lock. Until the Keyblade Master received the Keyblade, he was unable to do magic of any kind, even basic elemental spells. However, after receiving barely a day's worth of instruction, he could successfully use a fire spell and went onto to cast the advanced forms of many spells with ease. Using the Keyblade as a focal point gave him the boost he needed to – "_

Takami suddenly snapped the book shut, a scratching noise assaulting his ears. Setting the book aside, he gave a small shudder and got to his feet, praying there weren't any rats gracing the castles old halls. Brushing off breadcrumbs, he replaced Merlin's Manual to its original place in his shoulder bag, ready to continue foreword. Had he known what was ahead, he wouldn't have stopped at all. It took him only a few minutes to find what would certainly give his project an 'A+'.

Though the room should have been pitch-black, an unearthly glow filled it, illuminating even the farthest, darkest corners. The light showed that every inch was covered in grime. A crystal no smaller than six feet hovered in the center of the room, each side cut to perfection. Shaped like a six-sided prism, the sculpture revealed itself as the source of the light, glowing strongly even beneath two hundred years of dust.

Takami openly gaped. It was floating. The thing had been floating for a couple hundred years, and whatever spell allowed it to hover was still active. Despite the fact that Takami was no mage, it was common knowledge that set spells had to be recast every year or so, maybe a year or two more depending on the caster and spell. But hundreds of years…? The very idea was unfathomable.

Mystified, Takami inched closer, as though something called out to him. A few feet away, he stopped. Without taking his eyes of the crystal, he reached into is backpack to remove his camera. Angling the camera and setting the flash, he pressed the shutter button to take a picture. Nothing happened. Scrunching his face up in annoyance, Takami put the camera and removed a sketchpad and pencil. No time like the present to do his art assignment. As he began to sketch the outline of the crystal and the wall behind it, he frowned and stopped, realizing a veil of gray obscured his view of crystal's details. Creeping foreword, he blew lightly on the surface, hopping to remove the dust without actually touching it.

The dust violently exploded outward with the slight breeze, effectively caking Takami in the dry substance. Sneezing and wrinkling his nose, he vainly attempted to brush the dust off his hair and clothes, but paused when the full light of the crystal struck him, lighting the room up like a well-lit, cozy house. Now he could comfortably observe the shell. The exterior was a foggy white, vaguely transparent. A hazy outline could be seen through the crystal, but it was unrecognizable. Etched into the front face was giant key, much too large for any door he knew of, almost two and a half feet in length. "Not quite a key," he realized. Aside from its size, where the butt of the key should have been, there was instead carved a handle made for two hands, almost like the hilt of a sword.

"The Keyblade!" Takami exclaimed in awe. An exhilarated feeling filled him from the inside out. Not realizing he had dropped his sketchbook, he eagerly scanned the crystal more closely. Behind the hilt, the shape of a hand could almost be made out. Reaching up with a trembling hand, he pressed his left palm over the hilt, lining up his hand with the hand shape resting almost level to his heart. The boy had a split second to wonder whether or not that was the wisest decision to make before the room was flooded with light. A harsh beam glowed beneath his fingers, tracing the scored image of the Keyblade. Takami pulled back, shielding his eyes from the burning gleam. Slowly, a weapon of fable and legend pushed out of its corresponding depiction, dimming the light as it emerged, pulsating with power. The blade (though it had no sharp edges) was pure silver, unmarked and shined enough to gleam. The yellow hilt extended around the black grip in a rectangular shape, ending at the pommel, though not acting as a guard. A key chain dangled from the pommel itself, a symbol of three circles at the end of the chain links, also silver.

Takami split his fingers as the light died down, watching the Keyblade through his digits. He could feel its power as it hovered before him, seemingly begging for him to just reach out… and take it.

Takami didn't hesitate in reaching out and grasping the hilt.

For a moment, the Keyblade's overwhelming vigor seemed to die down. But with a surge of renewed power, Takami was thrown backwards into a wall by a wave of power, his hold on Keyblade lost. Dazed with a painful throbbing wracking his body, he missed the weapon spinning wildly on its axis until the blade pointed towards the crystal, teeth down. A keyhole drawn from light sketched itself onto the crystal's face. The Keyblade slowly turned to its side, a gentle click echoing in the room once the weapon rested at its side. Steadily, the crystal began to melt, bits of its hard body dripping off like a snow cone, each drop disappearing as it hit the ground. Takami lifted his head just in time to see the last trickle evaporate. The Keyblade now sat vertically as it had before, behind it a limp body. Spiky brown locks fell over a lightly tanned face. A black outfit and odd yellow shoes covered the rest. Takami rose to his feet in wonder to stare at what could almost be his exact double.

Puppet-like, the double moved his arm foreword and clasped the Keyblade. The world went dead silent. The Keyblade vanished in a sparkle of light and the double's eyes slowly opened to meet blue eyes too similar to his own.

"Oh, crap," Takami whispered.

The double's feet touched the ground, the spell of silence broken with the light noise. Without another glance or a word, the double sped out of the room, leaving a confused Takami behind.

"I'm in trouble now," he continued to whisper, eyes wide. "At least I'm guaranteed an 'A'."

-----

_"I'll save you Sora. I promise."_


	2. Chapter 1: Timeless

Ani: Finally! Chapter 1! Sorry, we had some... _issues_ getting the this chapter betaed. I love my betas anyway! Oh, and I totally forgot this in the last chapter -

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any Disney or Final Fantasy characters/places/other things mention in this fic. I do, however, own Takami, Raashiel, and Antheia. So nyeh.

Ani: Anyway -

Icy: On with the fic!

Chapter Info  
**Title: **Chapter 1 - Timeless  
**Rating:** K+  
**Warnings:** OCs, slight shounen-ai  
**Word Count:** 2,605

* * *

It took him only a few minutes to escape the castle, even in his weakness. Everything felt _heavy_, as though lead weights were strapped to his body. But that didn't bother him nearly as much as his inimical blindness and deafness, making him roughly scrape past walls and trip over rubble in his path. 'Seeing' couldn't really be called such, for as he could only make out vague shapes in shades of gray. All his ears could hear was static, vague rumblings, buzzing, flitting in and out of his senses. Every step he took was a struggle. Even so, he didn't feel any of this, nor did he stop. His body had been completely numbed. A white cloud had settled over his brain, hindering his thought process, as if he hadn't thought anything for a long time. 

He wandered around in this manner for some time until he found a wall. At least, he _thought_ it was a wall. Now colors were beginning to invade his vision, and he could tell that wall was perhaps a cliff, shadows revealing the outline of jagged rocks. With nothing to tell him otherwise, he began to climb, hoping to reach the top quickly. Feeling a strange sensation in his right knee, he reached down with one hand to feel. His hand came back covered with a sticky substance he realized was blood. Touching the wound again, he shrugged and continued on. He could barely feel it anyway.

Arriving at the top of the rock face, he scrambled for horizontal ground, collapsing on the dirt and littering stones. Stumbling to his feet, he walked foreword, sensing open space. He continued one like this, not realizing when he stumbled into town until he ran into his first person. Literally.

"Hey, watch it!"

He blinked dumbly in the direction of the muffled noise, wondering what he had brushed against. But before he could register what happened, another body collided into him, and another. One form after the other crashed into his, harshly jerking him back and forth like a puppet on taunt strings. Blurred shapes and stifled noises compressed around him, overwhelming his sensitive senses. He pressed his hands tightly over his ears, squeezing his eyes shut, sinking to the ground. He felt vulnerable, a babe fresh out of the womb with no mother to guide his way. The busy street raged wildly around him.

_Where am I?_ he cried out desperately in his head. _Where's Riku? Where's Kairi? _A raspy sob pushed out of his throat.

Suddenly, he felt it. A warm assault on his mind. No… his heart.

"Hey, we thought you were going to wait until later, so we decided to catch up. Did you change your mind?" He looked up. Two shapes, starkly clear against the hazy background of the rest of the world. "Where did you get those clothes?"

Sora smiled.

"Riku. Kairi. I found you."

"Raashiel, I don't think that's Takami…"

The strange boy at Raashiel and Antheia's feet smiled warmly again, hand reaching out towards them. Raashiel instinctively mimicked the action, but the strange boy collapsed on the cobblestone street just before their hands would have met.

-----

"Weird, it's like looking at a clone. You two look so much alike!"

"You're telling me. I thought I had lost my mind when I saw him at the castle!"

"Back up, I think he's waking up."

"Hey, can you hear me?"

Sora shifted uncomfortably. No. Don't wanna move.

"Since you're the one in my bed, I think you should."

"Raashiel!"

Sora moaned. "Riku?"

The voices paused. "No. I'm not Riku."

Sora's eyes flew open and he speedily sat up. "Not so quickly! You collapsed in the street." The soothing voice was right. The motion left him weak. He fell back into the sheets, realizing he was on a soft bed. "Can't move right," he muttered, closing his eyes again.

"No. Stay awake," another voice demanded firmly. Sora sighed and opened his eyes.

Three teenagers hovered over the bedside, eyes filled with curiosity. The first, a pretty strawberry-blonde girl with blue-violet eyes, watched him gently, worry prominent in her gaze despite her inquisitiveness. The violet baby-doll t-shirt she wore helped sculpt her frame and bring out her eyes, matching well with her short white skirt. The second was a handsome looking boy with black hair falling just below his shoulders, intensive aqua gaze fixed on Sora. He wore dark shirt and pants, almost making him out to be a shadow. The third…

Sora stared at Takami and Takami stared back uncertainty. It was like looking into a tinted mirror. Everything was exactly the same with the coloring slightly off. Takami's skin was far too pale, the hair too lightly shaded, and the eyes too dull. Sora's pale mirror image stuck his hands into the pockets of his long overalls, shifting the white tee he wore underneath, scuffing his tennis shoes on the floor.

"Who are you?" Sora asked, voice still coarse.

"I'm Takami," his clone answered. "This is my friend Antheia" – the girl gave a little wave at her name – "and my boyfriend Raashiel." The dark haired male made no indication of greeting other than the meeting of Sora's stare. Sora averted his eyes. "Who are you?"

"Sora," the brunet whispered. "My name's Sora."

"You can rest now, Sora, until you regain your strength. We only wanted to know your name. We can finish playing 'twenty questions' later." Antheia and Takami glanced over at Raashiel, surprised. Raashiel didn't return their looks, pressing a damp cloth to Sora's forehead in reply. "Sleep."

Sora felt comfort at Raashiel's touch. He slept.

-----

When Sora awoke again, it was dark, almost no light shining from the single window. He slowly sat up, but the small act took more energy than expected. Stubbornly, he remained upright to glance around the darkened room. Previously in his visit to waking, he didn't get the chance to observe his surroundings. He took the time to do so now, though making things out was difficult in the dark.

He was apparently in a medium-sized bedroom, one small window against the wall to his right. From his position, he could see the night sky being obscured by rain clouds. The room was mostly bare, aside from the nightstand next to the bed, desk pushed into one corner, a rolling chair pushed against the desk, a closed closet, and what appeared to be a blue liquid screen between two speakers mounted on the wall, shimmering ever so faintly. Sora couldn't call up any idea for what the screen could be used for. School supplies were piled neatly on the desk, the tiny amount of light from the window illuminating them. Anything else that may have been in the room was hidden by shadows. A soft pitter-patter upon the window told him it had begun to rain.

"I see you're awake." Sora snapped his attention to the doorway, where one of the boys from before stood, lit up mysteriously by the moonlight from outside. _Raashiel,_ he reminded himself, forcing himself to lock the name into his mind. Raashiel had entered without making a sound, which impressed Sora. Flipping a switch by the doorframe, the room was suddenly brightened by lights tracing its perimeter on the ceiling, formerly hidden by darkness.

"Yeah," Sora agreed, shifting uncomfortably.

"If it's difficult, you don't have to sit up," Raashiel offered, approaching the bedside. "You seemed really weak earlier," he explained, pulling the chair next to the bed for him to sit on. "You shouldn't strain yourself. And you hurt your knee very badly."

Sora gave a lazy shrug. "I feel better."

"Good," Raashiel responded.

The two observed each other in silence, both hesitant to start starting a conversation – Sora wondering how he should approach his 'rescuer,' and Raashiel thinking on how wise of a decision it was to bring a stranger into his home.

"Uh, how did I get here? Where am I?" Sora finally burst out, killing the silence.

"I don't know how you got here. But as to where you are, you are at my house on 78 Hart Lane, Radiant Garden," answered Raashiel, stating his street address and world.

Sora stared at him blankly before grinning. "I keep forgetting Hallow Bastion's real name is 'Radiant Garden'!" Raashiel's face was clearly confused by the statement, but Sora continued on. "I've got to make myself remember. Do you know Leon or Cid?" Raashiel slowly shook his head. "No? The Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee? No? I guess I could find Merlin's house from here…"

Raashiel seized his chance to jump into the conversation. "Merlin? Merlin the Sorcerer?"

Sora blinked. "I suppose so. Why?"

Raashiel exhaled slowly, pushing his hair back with one hand.

"Raashiel? Raashiel, what is it?" Sora's smile twitched on his face.

"Sora, who are you?" Raashiel whispered. An improbable truth had presented itself before him – a truth he couldn't wrap his mind around. The atmosphere had suddenly become heavy, strangling the light ambiance that had reigned before.

"I'm Sora," Sora answered weakly, fear creeping into his voice. "I'm the Keyblade Master."

In the split second after Sora answered Raashiel's question, a number of emotions crossed over Raashiel's face. Every emotion confused Sora further, and he wondered why his words could have initiated such a reaction. First, there was shock, then eagerness. Confusion, then sadness. In the end, it all watered down to overwhelming pity. All within a moment.

"Keyblade Master," Raashiel said softly.

"Yes. What is it?" Sora demanded impatiently, attempting to squelch the feelings inside him that left him in turmoil.

Deliberately looking away, Raashiel began to speak. "Sora, Merlin died over 180 years ago."

The smile instantly dropped from Sora's face. "What?" he said quietly.

"Radiant Garden hasn't gone by the name of 'Hollow Bastion' since the end of the Second Wave, over two centuries ago. Cid, Leon – they get a chapter in our history books."

As Raashiel spoke, the color began to drain from Sora's face, his hands clenching tightly into fists. His breathing pattern became slightly erratic, and his pupils dilated. "You're lying," he said simply, voice cold, a startling contrast to the cheeriness it had replaced from seconds ago. Raashiel mentally winced. He had figured out the more subtle consequence that this information was implying.

"You are a legend, Keyblade Master," Raashiel said, trying to keep his voice from betraying the remorse he felt from saying the words to Sora. "A two hundred year old legend."

"Two hundred years," Sora repeated dumbly. His body violently began to shake, eyes widening with shock. "So everyone I knew… Kairi…" His lower lip trembled with building emotion. "Riku?"

Raashiel clenched his fists and lowered his head.

Within that instant, something within Sora's mind snapped. Within his mind's eyes, the image of all he knew and loved floated into view, one after the other – every person he ever met on his journeys. Every single one. The Princesses, Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, Cid, Cloud, Tifa, Selphie, Wakka, Tidus. Kairi. Riku. Dead and gone.

Dead and gone.

Riku.

_Dead and gone!_

"Liar!" Sora accused, screaming. "Liar, liar, liar!"

"Sora," Raashiel said, startled. "Please calm down…"

"Liar, liar!" he shouted furiously. "Liar!" Violently, Sora began to thrash wildly in the bed, nearly catching Raashiel across the face with his flailing limbs, all the while shrieking "liar!". Raashiel hastily edged away from the maddened boy.

"Sora!"

In a split second, Sora had thrown the sheets off of the bed and bolted out of the room, leaving a stunned Raashiel behind to contemplate the wisdom of his own actions.

"Sora! Sora!" Raashiel cried out vainly. But he was already gone.

Outside, thunder rolled.

-----

Sora ran blindly through the streets, rain beating upon the exposed parts of his body. Rough winds swept his hair back into his face, further diminishing his visibility. Not that it mattered. His destination didn't matter anymore – there was nowhere he could run to escape this horrible new truth. Unlike when he first woke up, he didn't want to discover this strange place, know these strange people. Unlike when he first woke up, he wanted to go back to sleep and awaken in a familiar place, wrapped in familiar arms.

The streets were empty now, due to the storm, so nothing slowed down Sora's frenzied pace. Still, it felt like he was fighting a crowd, an onslaught of memory, each slicing through his heart to bury into his vulnerable innards. They stuck there, piercing his metaphorical flesh, twisting deeper and deeper, heightening his sorrow and confusion.

_Dead and gone._

Two hundred years had gone by while he slept. Two hundred! The very amount of time seemed inconceivable, impossible… and yet within his tired mind and bleeding heart, he knew these to be words of truth. The truth had never been so painful to bear, and now he learned why so many people preferred lies to reality. And his reality had shattered, leaving him to pick up the pieces. All of his friends were dead, along with the rest of his past. Now, more than ever before, he wished for lies.

His foot caught on a misaligned stone and he fell heavily to the wet ground, a searing pain assaulting his left knee as he did so. He barely acknowledged it, focusing instead on how to wrap he could possibly be expected to accept his situation.

"Why!" he howled. "Why did this happen! How! Why…" Crawling to an alleyway, he curled into a ball, knees pulled to his chest. The bandage he failed to notice before that was wrapped around his knee slid, and blood trickled through his fingers. Head dipped low, he sobbed, tears mingling with the rain. Warm, wet rivets coursed down his cheeks, tears following after the other until he was hyperventilating, gasping for breath. The rain ignored his pain, heedlessly soaking him to the bone. Sora welcomed it, hoping to numb the ache inside.

"Kairi…"

Lightning split the sky above.

"Riku…"

"Sora?"

Sora wearily lifted his head at the sound of his name. A soft glow was approaching. As the glow grew closer, confusion began to fill him. That glow felt like…

Raashiel leaned over Sora's shaking form, umbrella held tightly in one hand, the other bracing his body against wall behind Sora. His chest heaved, indicating he had run through the slippery streets. The mud on his pants and shirt was a sure sign he had fallen more than once.

"Sora, are you alright?" Raashiel asked after catching his breath. He caught sight of Sora's open wound and bit his lip. "Sora, talk to me."

Sora didn't answer, but merely met Raashiel's eyes and nodded his head.

"Sora, I'm sorry."

"_Sora, I'm sorry."_

"_It's okay, Riku. I'm serious."_

"_I'm… I'm gad."_

Sora pressed one hand to the side of his head, attempting to banish the words. He didn't want to think of _him_. Not now.

"Sora?"

"_Sora!"_

_A flash. A gentle teasing smirk on a pale face. A salty breeze kissed his lips and tossed his silver (**black**) hair in the gentle wind. The water slowly receded from the sandy shore. A hand slowly extends._

"Sora, please come with me."

Raashiel's hand extended towards Sora, a gentle pleading in his eyes. Sora smiled bitterly, meeting Raashiel's hand with his own. Warmth tugged at his heart.

"Riku," he whispered.

Raashiel said nothing, pulled Sora to his feet, looking away from the dreamy eyes that attempted to meet his own.

"Come on, Sora," he said softly. "Let's go."

Wrapping one arm around Sora's waist, Raashiel limped them both back to his home, the rain still pounding around them.


	3. Chapter 2: Recollections

Ani: What took so long? I blame my betas. -shifty eyes- Okay, and myself.

Icy: -rolls eyes-

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any Disney or Final Fantasy characters/places/other things mention in this fic. I do, however, own Takami, Raashiel, and Antheia. So nyeh.

Ani: Woo for me not owning anything. Anyway...

Icy: On with the fic!

Chapter Info  
**Title: **Chapter 2 - Recollections  
**Rating:** K+  
**Warnings:** OCs, slight shounen-ai  
**Word Count:** 2,395

* * *

"I want to know," Sora began softly. "I want to know everything about this place. This… time." Sora winced as Raashiel tightened the gauze around his knee painfully. 

"I told you that you hurt your knee badly," he chastised quietly, securing the bandage. "It looks like you cut it open on something rough. It tore through muscle, but it shouldn't get infected."

"Start talking. It doesn't hurt," Sora interrupted coldly. Maybe it was the look in Sora's eyes or the tone of his voice, but Raashiel found those words very uncharacteristic of the brunet. He shook the feeling off, exchanging looks with Takami and Antheia.

After safely returning Sora to his house, Raashiel had immediately contacted his two friends explaining what had happened. Both responded much the same way he had – disbelief, excitement, pity – and while they insisted they come over right away, Raashiel gently rejected, explaining Sora's exhaustion and pain. However, they continued to push until Raashiel slightly caved, allowing them to visit the next day, a Sunday. The three currently surrounded Sora on Raashiel's bed, Antheia in the rolling chair, and Raashiel and Takami on the mattress, careful to give the third boy under the sheets adequate room.

"The year's 213 UE. UE stands for Unity Era," Antheia began hesitantly after no one else did. "After the walls between worlds crumbled, worlds began to interact with one another. So it was decided that there needed to be a universal time system – " Antheia stopped at Sora's frustrated, confused look. "Maybe I should start at the beginning." Sora nodded and Antheia gave a weary sigh. "You'll have to forgive me." Before anyone could ask what she meant, Antheia leapt into her explanation.

"A little over two hundred years ago, an evil force took over Radiant Garden. That was the beginning of the First Wave. The First Wave was the initial swarm of creatures known as Heartless, or 'Heart-stealers.' No one quite knows what they are or where they came from, but nearly every world near the Central Alliance has records of these creatures." Raashiel studied Sora's face as Antheia spoke, watching as it tightened in silent offense. Raashiel now knew why she apologized. The explanation Antheia gave was reminiscent of a chapter from a textbook or encyclopedia. Every word was laced with the thoughts of arrogant scholars with an unattached approach to the actual events – observers of only the face value of what must have been personal and life-altering events to those involved – namely Sora. Raashiel hoped Antheia's explanation would be short.

"During the First Wave, a number of worlds seemed to disappear – several years or months are simply missing from their historical texts. However, the worlds reappeared at the end of the First Wave, approximately 15 UE. That is when rumors of the Keyblade began to circulate." Antheia stole a glance at Sora's face, which remained motionless. "Many worlds claimed a young boy wielding a key-sword saved them from the creatures. Of course, the Keyblade Master wouldn't become famous until years after the Second Wave.

"A year after the First Wave ended began, the Second Wave began. The remaining Heartless ran wild across many worlds, but were diminishing in numbers. During this time, another force came into play, and while more powerful, they apparently lacked in numbers. Some scholars debate the existence of these so-called 'white creatures' that appeared on occasion with the Heartless." Sora openly glared at that comment. "The Keyblade Master soon reappeared on the scene, destroying the Heartless and other creatures once and for all. However, the most important event of this year didn't take affect until the end of the Second Wave. The opening of paths between worlds." Sora muttered something obscene under his breath, but let Antheia continue her story. Raashiel heard Sora's mutter and wondered why Sora was offended at that particular comment. "This began a revolutionary change for all worlds, a change that would lead to the creation of the political system we know today. Suddenly, worlds could truly see one another; they were no longer alone in the universe. The end of the Second Wave inaugurated the beginning of Restoration, which would in turn begin the Unity Era."

"She's starting to sound like Ms. Turner," Takami whispered into Raashiel's ear. Raashieal nudged him in the side.

"You mentioned the 'Central Alliance'," Sora said.

"It's a division of worlds… or something." Antheia shrugged.

"Antheia may be great at memorizing the textbook, but the politics of it escape her," Takami teased lightly. "Basically, there are groups of three or four worlds caught in an invisible orbit. Those are called Rings. Rings typically have trading treaties to benefit their economies. Groups of Rings, called Alliances, are in orbit around a star. Trading and transportation vary from Alliance to Alliance.

"The end of the Second Wave allowed scientists and magicians to figure out how to recreate the Keyblade's ability of opening new roads. Happens all the time, now-a-days. Radiant Garden is part of the Traverse-Twilight-Garden Ring, which is part of Central Alliance. Our current Alliance leader and world president is Tempest Leonhart."

"Leonhart?" Sora interrupted suddenly.

"Uh, yeah," Takami answered. "Why?"

Sora didn't answer. "Continue."

Takami shrugged. "Well, that's about it, if you don't include specifics. There are different foreign policies and stuff like that for each world, but I don't know all of them outside of our Ring."

"So," Sora murmured. "All the worlds are connected now. That's a surprise."

Before Raashiel could ask him what he meant, Takami jumped in. "You're the Keyblade Master! That's so weird. I can't imagine how it must have been like pre-Unity. I'm supposed to be doing a report on you, you know." He smiled. "Why don't you tell us about yourself?"

"Why should I?"

"Huh?"

"You know all about me, don't you? From your history books?" Sora sneered sarcastically. Takami looked down, slightly shame-faced and feeling stung. "I have nothing to share." Raashiel put a protective arm around Takami's shoulders, and his boyfriend brightened considerably.

"Sora, I know you've said all these things, but we don't have any proof that you're actually the Keyblade Master," Raashiel carefully spoke, not wanting to enrage the other boy any further.

Sora gave what could almost be a surprised look, except for the bitterness in his eyes. No one had ever asked for proof before. No situation had ever called for it. Then again, he had never appeared two hundred years after he should have died. "Proof? I guess there's only one proof I can give." Holding out his hand, palm out, Sora closed his eyes in concentration. A small flash of light illuminated the room for a brief second and died. Gripped in Sora's gloved hands, rested the Keyblade.

"The Keyblade," the three children of Radiant Garden breathed.

"I thought I had imagined it," Takami whispered, eyes full of awe.

There was a silence about the four until Sora suddenly winced, Keyblade disappearing as fast as it had appeared. He clutched his chest, doubling over. Beads of sweat slipped down the side of his face and his pupils dilated to mere pinpoints.

"Sora?" Raashiel asked, startled, leaning over him.

"That hurt," Sora gasped out, straightening his back and wiping the sweat away. "But why?"

"There are a lot of things we don't know," Antheia wisely answered. "Like how you got here."

"You found me," Sora said, turning his attention to Takami. "What happened exactly?"

"I found you in the old castle," Takami responded nervously. "You were in, um, a crystal. A big crystal."

"A crystal?" Antheia glanced at him reproachfully. Takami had yet to inform her and Raashiel of specific details.

"Yeah," he hurriedly retorted. "One second." Takami scooped down to grab his bag from the side of the bed. He rummaged about for a moment before pulling out his sketchbook. Flipping through the drawing pad, he eventually stopped at the correct page, displaying its content to the others. The sketch, though rushed, acutely captured the essence of the crystal. Each pencil stroke denoted the glowing surface of the prism. "It was huge," Takami explained, "floating in the middle of the room."

"Wow," Antheia mused breathily.

"What's that?" Raashiel pointed at the top half of the object. "Those symbols right there?"

Takami squinted at his drawing. "Huh, I didn't even notice that when I was drawing. I'm not sure what they are. They all kind of look like hearts."

The three signs formed a triangle on the front face of the crystal. The heart to the left had a forked bottom, a spiked 'x' crossing through the middle. The right heart didn't meet at the top, instead curling away from each other at the last second. The topmost heart least resembled a heart, the symbol upside down and forming cruel edges to top it.

"Sora," Takami asked, "do recognize any of these?"

"Those two," he began, pointing to the left and top heart, "I recognize. The last one I don't know."

"Maybe it has something to do with why you were in the crystal," Antheia suggested. Raashiel and Takami nodded in agreement.

"Perhaps," Sora agreed. Why he was in the crystal… Though he could not recall the last few moments before his imprisonment, the days before were starkly clear. He was at home, the islands, with Riku and Kairi. The simple, blissful life they had taken for granted before the storm that changed all of their lives. Why did he appear at Hollow Bastion? Would the answers lie here, or at the home he dearly longed for?

Clashing of blades, a blank doll-like face. Bitterness and betrayal.

"I have to leave soon," Sora decided, making his decision.

"What?" the other three exclaimed, staring at him in shock.

"You can't leave! You just woke up," Takami protested.

"And?" Sora replied, somewhat snidely.

"What Takami means," Raashiel butted in, "is that you need to recover. You've been asleep two hundred years. It's a miracle you can even move. Traveling wouldn't be a wise decision."

Sora frowned, taking in Raashiel's words with some reluctance. "I suppose this is as good a place to start as any," he muttered, crossing his arms.

"You can begin your search as soon as you get some sleep," Raashiel chided gently. Takami shot Raashiel a look. "You haven't had any proper rest."

"I've been 'resting' for two hundred years," Sora grumbled. But despite his protests Antheia, Takami, and Raashiel rose to their feet and exited the room, Raashiel turning off the light as he stepped towards the door.

"Good night, Sora," he whispered and shut the door.

With the trio gone, the few tears Sora had been holding back broke free, slipping down his cheeks. He wiped them away angrily. Watching them was like watching his life play out before his eyes. He, Riku, and Kairi: talking, laughing, playing on the islands. What were they now? Were the islands even there anymore? A frustrated sigh escaped his lips. No answers rested in this room. It was as though he were in a cage: no matter how friendly the guards were, no matter how comfortable the cell, it was a cage nonetheless.

"Do you think he's telling the truth?"

Sora froze as Takami's voice penetrated the bedroom walls. He listened closely finding it relatively simple to hear through the thick walls.

"You saw the Keyblade. You could feel it," Raashiel's voice argued back.

"Yeah, but… Antheia, what do you think?"

"We don't have enough information to pass any judgments right now," Antheia uttered. "But I have this weird feeling… Anyway, I gotta go. My mom thinks I was picking up the summer reading books from the library. See you two later."

"Bye Antheia," the two boys chorused together.

"Oh, and Raashiel?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't let Sora leave."

Sora heard the front door open and close, signaling Antheia's exit.

"Alone at last," Takami laughed.

"Funny. Sora's in the next room."

"You're no fun, Raa-Shaa."

Raashiel gave a small chuckle.

"I'm sorry, Taka. Maybe later."

"Hehe, forget it. Uh, Raashiel…" Takami's tone turned nervous. "Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"Do you find Sora attractive?"

"What?!"

"Do you find Sora attractive? Just answer the question."

"Of course I don't."

"But he looks almost just like me."

"You're much cuter."

"But it's weird. He kept looking over at you, like he knew you from somewhere, but didn't know where."

"Takami Asa, are you jealous?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

A little sigh escaped Raashiel.

"You have nothing to be jealous of. I love _you_. Why would I like a two hundred year old clone?"

Though Sora knew the comment wasn't meant to be malicious, it still stung. He shook off his hurt and continued to listen.

"What's up with that anyway? Why do we look so much alike?"

Sora sensed Raashiel's shrug.

"Who knows? Maybe it's a coincidence; maybe it's faith, maybe a little bit a both. But it doesn't matter either way. You are two different people. And I love you."

"Good."

"Oh, stop pouting and go home. Your mother must be having a heart attack. But first give me a kiss."

"Greedy."

"You know you love it."

"Unfortunately, I do."

Sora could see them in his mind's eye, the two leaning closer together, Takami tilting his head back for the intense kiss. Sora clenched his hands into fists around the bed spread.

"Why do you want to help Sora so bad?" Takami questioned quietly.

"… He's just so alone. And I feel like I have to."

"I love you."

"I love you too, Taka. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye."

The door again opened and closed, and Sora knew Takami had left. The boy had brought up a good question – why did they look so much alike? A weird coincidence? Or something more? _More questions with no answers,_ Sora thought in irritation. Questions whirled through his head, and he wondered if sleep would ever overtake him, as he pictured Raashiel preparing for bed in the next room. Secretly though, Sora didn't want to sleep. Sleep, an intangible process that usually came naturally, now held a powerful fear over him. What if he slept another two hundred years? Though unlikely, the risk consumed his rationality, and he decided he would remain awake that night.

And the next night.

And the one after that.

So, wide awake, Sora settled comfortably beneath the covers, eyes open.

He wouldn't sleep again.


	4. Chapter 3: Revitalize

Ani: Okay, this time I can't blame the betas, 'cause they just betaed two seconds ago.

Icy: Tsk, tsk.

Ani: Shut up. Anyway -

Icy: On with the fic!

Chapter Info  
**Title:** Chapter 3 – Revitalize  
**Rating:** K+  
**Warnings:** OCs, slight shounen-ai  
**Word Count:** 2,469

* * *

A week passed, and the school year finally ended for Raashiel, Takami, and Antheia. Raashiel's parents went on vacation the day school ended, and Raashiel no longer had to lock his bedroom door to hide Sora's presence. The final school project assigned to Raashiel, Takami, and Antheia was completed, all three receiving 'A's. Takami's project received a 98, a higher grade than both Antheia and Raashiel. His visual representation was a scale model of the Keyblade – the teacher praised him highly on his 'theoretical representation,' not realizing it was nearly identical to the actual Keyblade. Takami took the grade happily.

Within that time Sora recovered quickly, despite receiving no sleep. His knee healed in three days, even though the wound had been deep enough to nearly reveal bone. Antheia, the most versed in magic, continued to press the issue that something was off about Sora.

"He didn't move for two hundred years," Antheia argued for perhaps the fifth time that day after Raashiel and Takami brushed her off again. The three rested in Raashiel's living room, their unofficial HQ. Takami had slipped into a quiet nap, worn out by trying to fend off Antheia's argument. "He shouldn't be able to move, let alone walk after ripping his knee open!"

"Why can't you let it be, Antheia?" Raashiel sighed, propping his feet up on the coffee table and settling back into the couch.

"Because it's not right!" she burst out, gripping the armrests tightly. Raashiel looked at her wide-eyed. "Look," she continued, lowering her voice, eyeing the dozing Takami leaning on Raashiel's shoulder, "I want to help Sora as much as you do, which is _why_ we have to learn as much as we can." Takami stirred slightly. "Only then can we help him."

Raashiel ran his fingers through Takami's hair, looking exasperated. "Yeah, but –"

"She's right."

Antheia and Raashiel twisted around to look at the doorway where Sora stood, leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed plainly over his chest. "I need to know. I'm tired of being stuck inside this house. I need to know more. About everything."

"Why don't we try the Uni-Net?" Antheia suggested suddenly.

Raashiel could have slapped himself. "Of course! Why didn't I think of that before? I guess with the chaos of it all, it just didn't occur to me." He shook his head in disbelief. "You certainly could have used some entertainment," Raashiel added, turning his attention to Sora.

"Uni-Net?"

Raashiel grinned pointedly at Antheia who groaned from her end of the couch.

"Oh boy. You just _had_ to get him started," she moaned. Catching Sora's confused look, she continued. "Raashiel is a Uni-Net genius. He's a hacker," Antheia teased.

"I'm not a hacker," Raashiel protested. He stood, carefully rearranging Takami's position on the couch so the boy snuggled against the pillows and armrest. "I'm a multi-internet explorer." Antheia giggled and followed Raashiel to his room.

"Code word for total computer geek," she whispered to Sora as she passed him. Raashiel shot her a dirty look as he entered his room. Pulling out the chair from beneath his desk, he sat in front of the odd liquid screen that hadn't changed since Sora first arrived.

"This is my computer," Raashiel explained, touching the screen lightly with his palm. The screen rippled in response.

"That _thing_ is a computer?" Sora asked, clearly amazed.

"Raashiel always gets the latest models," Antheia complained, leaning over Raashiel's shoulder. "His mom works at GEB Tech, so she gets them before they're released to the public. I've got a SFT-08."

"Who's the user?"

Sora jumped at the sound of the female computer voice.

"Raashiel," said Raashiel clearly. His name spelled itself across the screen in white glowing letters. The screen flashed once and rippled like a pond disturbed by a stone. The blue surface changed to a snapshot of Raashiel, Antheia, and Takami grinning with their arms wrapped around each other. Sora observed the picture with some remorse.

"Log me on to the net," Raashiel ordered.

"One moment, please," the computer requested.

A light humming noise filled the room, followed by a beep of confirmation. The wall-screen rippled again, and suddenly a single screen projected itself from its surface. Sora watched in wonder as the opened window hovered before Raashiel's face. Technology had certainly taken a turn for the better.

"Hm, one second." Raashiel leaned over to pull a wireless keyboard from his nightstand. "Search." Swiftly, Raashiel typed in several letters on the keyboard, which in turn appeared in the window: 'Keyblade.' Hitting enter a list of links instantly filed onto the screen from top to bottom, with the sidebar indicating there were many more.

"100,000 results," the computer beeped. Raashiel frowned. "Add keywords to search." The window blanked to white as more words were added: 'Keyblade Master,' 'records,' 'history,' and 'magic,' caught Sora's eye as Raashiel attempted to narrow the search. Again, Raashiel hit the enter key.

"70,000 results."

"Prioritize based on keywords, open the first five links, and scan for bots," Raashiel tiredly commanded. Antheia caught Sora's blank looks.

"Bots try to enter your home computer systems and steal information," she explained. "Most can be stopped with basic firewalls, but scanning for them minimizes risk."

Sora still looked confused, but before he could even attempt to sort out the received information, five new windows joined the first, surrounding the three. Sora's eyes got bigger.

Raashiel reached out to touch the closest screen to his left. Tracing his finger down the side of the window, it scrolled downward, following his fingertip. He mimicked the action with the screen on his right, aqua eyes flickering back and forth between the two screens.

"Do I have any new messages?" Raashiel asked absently, eyes never halting their reading.

"Three new messages and one connection request," the computer chirped in response.

"Who's the connection request from?"

"i-user #752181524, username Terranscope."

"Delete it. Any new messages from anyone on my friends list?"

"No new messages from anyone on your friends list."

"Unlock user screen touch. Auto scroll on user activated screens." Raashiel removed his fingers from the two screens, though the windows continued to scroll down. "Okay, Sora, look through this window." Touching a screen, he dragged it until it rested in front of Sora's face. "Just drag your finger down the side to read through the information. When you're done, just hit the 'X' in the upper right-hand corner and say 'open next link.'"

Sora silently nodded, still a bit baffled by the whole process. He slowly began to read, gradually taking in each word. "Antheia, grab a window." Antheia dragged a window to stop before her and read while Raashiel turned his attention back to his own two screens, reading them simultaneously. Together, they worked their way slowly through the mountain of information.

-----

After an hour or so of repeated searching Sora adapted himself to the basic uses of the Uni-Net, but little information was recovered that was usable and relevant. Nonetheless, Sora soaked up everything like a sponge, grossly fascinated by the facts and theories involving himself. Each new page gave him the odd feeling of being a fictional character, one that shouldn't be real, but was. He wondered how so many people could know so much about him, and yet so little.

"I'm stumped," Raashiel finally admitted, closing a window with a loud exhale. "No one knows anymore than we do, and there aren't any cases of long sleeping spells. Well, there was one weird article about a princess, but she wasn't asleep nearly as long as you were."

"We may just have to visit the library," Antheia agreed with a sigh.

"There aren't books on the 'net?" Sora asked curiously.

Raashiel shook his head. "It's illegal; things on the 'net are too easy to copy and pass of as one's own work. A few times people got hold of manuscripts before they were published and the appeared en masse everywhere. According to my mom it was a huge scandal and legal battle when her mother was a kid. So now books have to be printed and distributed or else it's illegal."

"Besides, books hold power," Antheia offered, closing two windows. "A power that can't be transferred via computer."

"Right. _Power_," Raashiel scoffed. Antheia gave him a dirty look. "Anyway, the library isn't too far from here, but even if we do go, there's no guarantee that we'll be able to find any information on the circumstances of your imprisonment or the condition of your body. We might have to seek outside assistance."

"You mean tell someone?" Sora demanded.

"I don't think that's such a good idea Raashiel," Antheia said uncomfortably. "I doubt that anyone will believe us, and worse, what if someone _did_ believe us? If this got out, we'd be in a world of trouble. And think about what would happen to Sora."

"We have no choice," Raashiel replied, crossing his arms. "Like it or not, we're just kids. We're not even out of high school. We have no clue about this kind of stuff. An outside perspective is needed, someone who's an expert in their field."

"Expert or not, I doubt anyone knows about this," Antheia muttered.

"Do you have someone in mind?" Sora asked suspiciously.

Raashiel seemed to hesitate, turning the idea over in his mind. "Maybe. Takami will have to talk to him though. I don't know him all that well."

"If you're talking about the Professor, you're crazy," Antheia interrupted quickly. "He doesn't talk to _anybody_ – "

" – _Except_ Takami," Raashiel pointed out. "He likes Takami. More than anyone else can claim anyway."

"Professor?" Sora inquired.

"Professor Digory Kirke is one of the leading authorities on the legends of the Keyblade and is also a magitist with applications to the links between worlds. Ho won an award last year and didn't come to the ceremony." Raashiel explained.

"Magitis?"

"A mage and a scientist; a fusion of magic and technology. It's very delicate work, so there aren't many around," said Antheia with a hint of reproach.

"We should be able to see the Professor tomorrow at his mansion on the edge of New Town," Raashiel said with a pointed stare at Antheia, as she responded with a pout. "Let's meet here around noon. I'll tell Takami when he wakes up. See you tomorrow Antheia?"

Antheia threw up her arms in defeat, rolling her eyes. "I guess I have no choice. I'll be here. Bye Raashiel. Bye Sora."

Sora seemed startled at Antheia's friendly departure directed towards him. Unsure, he gave a respectful nod in her direction. Antheia smiled brightly at the response, blue-violet eyes sparkling. The smile remained on her face as she passed through the front door, down the street, and all the way up to her house.

-----

"Sora?" Raashiel asked, hesitant to interrupt Sora as the boy flipped through his schoolbooks with quiet fascination. Sora didn't glance up, turning to the next page of the assigned history book.

"Yes?" Sora responded.

"Nothing," Raashiel amended hastily. After Antheia left, he had found himself simply studying Sora as he read. Every action of Sora's seemed out of place, out of character. It bothered him that he knew these things deep in his heart – and even more that he couldn't look away. Somehow, he knew who Sora should be, and it greatly disturbed him to watch Sora sitting quietly and stone and thinking: _That's not right._

_A brilliant smile. Sora always had the most beautiful smile, unique and genuine. He was so lucky. So lucky to have Sora._

The sudden invading thought was gone as soon as it appeared, leaving Raashiel disoriented. He shook his head from side to side, trying to clear it. "Would you like to set up a user account on my computer?" he asked suddenly. "Then you can get online whenever you'd like."

Sora glanced up, a bit surprised. "Okay," he said softly, putting the book aside.

"Come here." Raashiel stood in front of the screen, the snap shot of the three friends darkening to near black as the computer hovered in sleep mode. Sora stood beside him, eyeing not the screen but Raashiel's face. Raashiel felt his neck prickle.

"Log me out and begin new user set-up," Raashiel said. The picture completely disappeared, returning to the shimmering blue Sora had grown accustomed to the past week.

"New user set up," the computer droned. "Please state your name."

Sora focused on the screen, and found him saying with a bit of uncertainty: "Sora."

"Please repeat for confirmation."

"Sora."

"Voice identification confirmed. Please place both hands on the display monitor."

Sora glanced at Raashiel, unsure if he was willing to touch what was obviously and expensive piece of equipment.

"Here." Raashiel took Sora's hands into his own and pressed them against the screen, palms-down. Sora suppressed the urge to jump at Raashiel's touch, concentrating instead on the wet, tingling sensation that ran across his palms. A neon yellow light traced the outline of his hands. Raashiel's palms continued to rest on the back of his hands.

"It tickles," Sora whispered.

"What?" Raashiel whispered back. Their bodies were close, almost touching. Too close.

"The screen. It tickles."

"Yeah," Raashiel agreed. "I know."

For a split second, there was a moment of absolute silence, almost deafening in its power. The two could only stare helplessly into each other's eyes, Sora's a deep lonesome blue; Raashiel's an entranced worried aqua. They were frozen, caught up in each other and moment that should never have happened. The fingers slowly began to entwine.

"Set up complete."

Raashiel jerked away, breaking their intimate contact. "And you're done," he said hastily, looking away. Sora slowly lowered his hands.

Silently, Takami observed from the open doorway, hair disheveled from his nap. He clutched the doorframe tightly, his eyes absent of any unwariness and gradually filling with a mix of hurt and bubbling rage. He released his death grip and took in a shaky breath, plastering a smile on his face.

"What's up?" Takami burst into the room, clear of any hesitance. Raashiel edged farther away from Sora.

"I was just helping Sora set up an account on my computer," Raashiel answered. The moment had passed and washed away the strange feelings from that brief period of uncertainty. "Hey, do you think you can contact the Professor? Antheia and I think he may be able to help. We're meeting here at twelve." Raashiel blinked in surprise as Takami latched himself to his boyfriend.

"I'll make lunch," Takami said brightly. He swooped up and planted a full kiss on Raashiel's lips, leaving the other temporarily breathless. He gave a small knowing grin and slipped away. "See you tomorrow." He sauntered out of the room, casting a final glance at the two.

Sora's smoldering eyes had never left Raashiel's face.


End file.
